Flyers put Dale Weise, Taylor Leier on waivers; Scott Hartnell retires

In a surprise Monday, the Flyers put two players on waivers: wingers Taylor Leier and Dale Weise.

They had been expected to waive just one of them.

If they clear by noon Tuesday, they both could be sent to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. If they both clear, the Flyers might send  Leier, 24, to the Phantoms so he has a chance to play, and keep Weise as an extra player.

To get their roster to 23, the Flyers need to send at least one more player to the Phantoms by the deadline of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Because of his team-friendly contract ($720,000) and his youth, Leier might be picked up by another team. Leier had three points in four preseason games and can provide speed and penalty killing for a team in need.

Weise, 30, has two years left on his contract, which has an annual cap hit of $2.35 million. He had two goals, including a shorthanded tally, in five preseason games.

General manager Ron Hextall said Sunday that if he lost a player on waivers, he was comfortable because of the talent in Lehigh Valley.

"We have depth down there," he said, mentioning forwards Carsen Twarynski, Nic Aube-Kubel, and Tyrell Goulbourne.

Monday's moves mean veteran Jori Lehtera will be with the team at the start of the season. He would have cleared waivers because of his $4.7 million cap hit, but the Flyers decided to keep him.

Lehtera, 30, might play on the fourth line, though the Flyers have better options. He had a strong camp, as did Weise and Leier.

Coach Dave Hakstol might use the 6-foot-2, 212-pound Lehtera (three points in four preseason games) when the Flyers play a more physical team, and he may opt for the swift 5-10, 179-pound Weal when they are opposed by a speedy, finesse opponent. Lehtera can be used on the penalty kill, while Weal can get time on the power play.

The NHL and local police are investigating Lehtera's involvement in an alleged drug ring in his native Finland. Lehtera has claimed his innocence.

The Flyers will open their season Thursday in Las Vegas against the defending Western Conference-champion Golden Knights.

The Flyers will likely go into the season with a lineup that looks like this:

Line 1: Sean Couturier (31 goals last season) centering Claude Giroux (34) and Travis Konecny (24).

Line 2: Nolan Patrick (13) centering James van Riemsdyk (36) and Jake Voracek (20).

Line 3: Mikhail Vorobyev (9 with Phantoms) centering Oskar Lindblom (16 with Phantoms, 2 with Flyers) and Wayne Simmonds (24).

Line 4: Weal (8) centering Scott Laughton (10) and Michael Raffl (13).

Extra: Lehtera (3). The Flyers may also keep Weise (4) or Leier (1) if they clear waivers.

Defense: Ivan Provorov (17) and Shayne Gostisbehere (13); Andrew MacDonald (6) and Robert Hagg (3); Travis Sanheim (2) and Radko Gudas (2).

Extra: Christian Folin (3).

Goalies: Brian Elliott (2.65 GAA, .909 save percentage) and Anthony Stolarz, who was coming off two knee surgeries and played only four minor-league games last season.

>> READ MORE: Ivan Provorov is creating 'his own mold' in the NHL

Scott Hartnell, 36, who spent seven seasons with the Flyers, announced his retirement. He finished with 327 goals in 1,249 NHL games.

In seven years with the Flyers, Hartnell had 157 goals, including seasons in which he had 30 and 37 tallies. He helped the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010.

Hartnell, who scored 13 goals for Nashville last season, was also known for the immense charity work he did in the Philadelphia area.

"Seventeen years in the NHL was the best job anyone could ever ask for," Hartnell tweeted.

Flyers position previews: Left wing now a strength • Competitive group of centers • If Wayne Simmonds is right, so is that side of the ice • Power play looks improved, but penalty kill has questions • Defense has strength and experience, but is it enough? • Goalie injuries wreak havoc on depth chart